Product containment and dispensing packages have been proposed, in which the container includes a body with an integral neck and a separate fitment assembled to the neck for restraining and channeling product flow during dispensing. The closure, which may also function as a measurement cup, has threads that engage the container neck or fitment for sealing the package. Liquid laundry products are common examples of this type of packaging. Packages of the described character are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,114,659 and 5,207,356. It is conventional practice with containers and packages of this character to secure the fitment to the container neck at the time of container manufacture, such as by welding or other securement techniques. The container/fitment subassembly and the closure cap are then shipped as separate units to the packager. The packager must fill the container with product through the relatively small opening in the fitment that is designed primarily to restrain and guide flow during dispensation. The closure is threaded onto the container neck or fitment by the packager after the product is placed in the container.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a container and fitment arrangement in which the fitment may be secured to the container without requiring a separate welding or other joining operation. Another object of the present invention is to provide a container and fitment assembly, and a container package and method of use, in which the fitment may be assembled to the container after the container is filled with product, such that the container may be more rapidly filled through the relatively large opening in the container neck prior to assembly of the fitment to the container. A further object of the present invention is to provide a container/fitment package and method of use that satisfy the objective set forth immediately above, and in which the fitment and closure may be readily and rapidly assembled to the container following filling of the container.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container assembly that includes a container having a body with a cylindrical neck and an integral lug projecting radially inwardly from the neck. A fitment has a cylindrical wall adapted to be telescoped within the container neck. The fitment wall has internal threads for receiving a container cap, and an axial slot adapted to be received by snap fit over the lug in the container neck. The neck lug thus cooperates with the slot in the fitment wall for both retaining the fitment axially within the neck, and preventing circumferential rotation of the fitment within the neck. In the preferred method of use in accordance with another aspect of the invention, the fitment and cap are provided to a packager as a subassembly separate from the container. The container is rapidly filled with product through the relatively large opening in the container neck, and the cap/fitment subassembly is then snapped into the container neck to complete the package assembly.
In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the fitment includes an annular wall that extends radially inwardly from an end of the fitment cylindrical wall and disposed in assembly between the internal threads on the fitment and the container body. This annular wall may be conical, tapering narrowingly in assembly into the container body, or flat and perpendicular to the axis of the neck, or flat and angulated with respect to the axis of the container neck. In one embodiment, the annular fitment wall defines a keyhole-shaped opening with a central circular portion and a radial portion that extends from the central portion to the fitment cylindrical wall. The internal threads on the fitment wall are interrupted in alignment with the keyhole-shaped opening to facilitate dispensation of product. In other embodiments, a conical pour spout integrally axially extends from the annular wall within the cylindrical wall of the fitment. The spout has a central axis that may be either concentric with or offset from the axis of the fitment cylindrical wall.